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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546428">When A Kiss Is Not A Kiss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixNinja101/pseuds/PhoenixNinja101'>PhoenixNinja101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Kuroko Tetsuya/Original Male Character(s), Implied/Referenced Pedophilia, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Mind Manipulation, Overprotective Generation of Miracles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:39:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixNinja101/pseuds/PhoenixNinja101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The team learns something new about Kuroko.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akashi Seijuurou &amp; Kuroko Tetsuya, Aomine Daiki &amp; Kuroko Tetsuya, Generation of Miracles &amp; Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga &amp; Kuroko Tetsuya, Kise Ryouta &amp; Kuroko Tetsuya, Kuroko Tetsuya &amp; Midorima Shintarou, Kuroko Tetsuya &amp; Momoi Satsuki, Kuroko Tetsuya &amp; Murasakibara Atsushi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>237</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When A Kiss Is Not A Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Me: I’ve had this idea for a while now and I couldn’t even start it ‘cuz I didn’t know how. Luckily, I’m on my writing mood right now, as you can see… And even through there’s lots to do (school projects) despite being quarantined – I found myself stress writing at my best so here ‘ya go!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Normal POV!</strong>
</p><p>January 31, Kuroko’s 18<sup>th</sup> Birthday.</p><p>It should be expected that the former Teikou regulars known as the famous Generation of Miracles will gather on the day of their Phantom Sixth Man’s special day. Just like the year before, Seirin regulars prepared a celebration in their basketball ace, Kagami Taiga’s house as it was guaranteed to have available space to hang out. Even the seniors, consisting of their former coach Aida Riko, their captain Hyuuga Junpei, as well as the Seirin basketball club’s founder Kiyoshi Teppei managed to fit the party in their tight schedule courtesy of the universities they currently attend.</p><p>This year, however, was a tad different from the last - they just don’t know how much.</p><p>It started with Alex Garcia, Kagami’s basketball mentor from America. Even the dual-color-haired returnee wasn’t expecting his almost-mother-figure’s presence in his house, along with his unrelated brother Himuro Tatsuya, who arrived with their resident giant Murasakibara Atsushi.</p><p>This of course did not put a damper in the celebration as guests, uninvited or not, were welcomed to join. Kuroko did not seem to mind and looked to be enjoying himself better with the new additions to the party.</p><p>Birthday greetings, food and desserts, chatters, and the usual birthday songs aside, it didn’t take long for the guests to begin leaving once they noticed the time. With a polite apology, others who couldn’t stay long left to go home, not without greeting the teal-haired boy a ‘happy birthday, Kuroko’ on their way out.</p><p>Before long, only the Teikou alumni as well as Kagami remained, with Himuro and Alex getting ready to leave. The former, wanting to go back to the hotel he was currently staying at has encouraged Atsushi to stay and spend time with his former teammates while the latter, not wanting to intrude on a special time together and chose to stay with Himuro for the night.</p><p>While Kagami led the two as they left, like the others, both guests approached Kuroko to greet him one last time for the night. It wasn’t until they reached the birthday boy that Kagami realized how bad an idea it was to let Alex near <em>anyone</em>, but before he could so much as blink the blond well-endowed woman had already grabbed his shadow and delivered a rather wet and loud <em>smooch</em>.</p><p>“<em>ALEX</em>!” almost in reflex, both Himuro and Kagami reverted into English and grabbed their mentor, swiftly pulling her away from the phantom player with practiced ease.</p><p>“<em>Tetsu-kun</em>!”</p><p>It was then that Kagami remembered that the current group present in his house had not yet been acquainted with his so-called mentor’s unusual quirk of kissing anything that moved. Luckily, the victim didn’t seem to mind, bringing all attention to the unfazed teen.</p><p>Kuroko only blinked, seemingly unaffected with the blond-haired woman’s bold action and when asked why from a very concerned Aomine Daiki while ignoring the rest of the guests’ bewildered expressions, only replied with a nonchalant;</p><p>“I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. It’s not like it was my first kiss or anything.”</p><p>Despite the curious glances directed his way, the teal-haired teen shrugged the event away and proceeded to thank the two departing guests until it was only him and his closest friends in Kagami’s residence.</p><p>Ignoring the interested gazes of the others, Kuroko hoped that they will soon forget about the kiss, and inwardly sighed in relief when his former light joked about wishing it was him in his place, laughing about how lucky he was to receive a kiss from the blond-haired woman. This of course led to his childhood friend, Momoi Satsuki, scolding the tanned teen stating that ‘Dai-chan is only jealous because Alex-san was his type’ and so on. After a brief explanation from Kagami about his mentor’s antics, the topic was soon forgotten as an unusual quirk that every basketball genius seems to have. Moments later, their conversation topics drifted into idle chatters as everyone sat down to enjoy each other’s presence, making Kuroko relax and content to be in the company of his friends.</p><p>Unfortunately, the passing specialist had once again underestimated the persistence of certain curious individuals, and the dread that pooled at the pit of his stomach was insistently dismissed when the resident model, Kise Ryouta suggested a game of truth or dare.</p><p>
  <strong>~•~</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Normal POV!</strong>
</p><p>Akashi Seijurou, to say the least, was intrigued. Like the rest of his former teammates, none of them had expected the casual comment thrown their way from their unassuming sixth man. It was unexpected and might have thrown them off a bit as never in their life had they witnessed the shadow associating himself with a girl other than their pink-haired manager, or anyone romantically. So it really was a curious thing to see the teal-haired boy so rigid in posture, as though his little secret had been unintentionally exposed and might have been a little uneasy with the whole ordeal. But even with the red-head’s all-knowing persona, even <em>he</em> did not know what lies behind the tealnette’s blank façade.</p><p>While he wanted to know simply for the sake of knowing, the heterochromatic-eyed teen will admit only to himself the worry he felt for his protégé. It was so like their shadow to keep things to himself, and even Akashi understands that prying demandingly will only lead to the smaller teen closing in on himself even more needlessly. Discreetly catching a pair of golden eyes, Akashi nodded as they all sat down on the floor in a circle. They will need to approach the matter more subtly, and as Akashi met the eyes of the bespectacled teen Midorima Shintarou, he found it even more difficult to ignore the bad feeling that settled on his stomach.</p><p>
  <strong>~•~</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Normal POV!</strong>
</p><p>Uneasy. No matter how much Momoi tried to ignore the trepidation in her heart, she somehow knew that there was something bad to take from the unsettling feeling she had in her heart. Although her smile was in place, years of being a manager had sent her thoughts haywire, constantly searching for information, no matter how little, that was dropped in their little game of truth or dare. Eyes darting around, searching for lies and truths, and ears straining to hear more, more, <em>more</em>.</p><p>Catching the eyes of Aomine’s concerned look stopped her for a moment, and she realized that it was not only her that was paying rapt attention to the tidbit of information dropped by their teal-haired friend. It was then she realized how little they knew of each other. Despite having a grasp of each other’s character and personality, three years together with only a club to connect them was never enough to fully know a person they associate with.</p><p>This particular realization sent an ache in her heart that she could not ignore. It was a shame that they never took the time to get to know each other outside basketball. The only moments they could be together was when there was a matter of basketball. Even the times they spent to eat lunch together was centered around conversations regarding basketball, training, and regimes. Yet here they were now, huddled together on a special night, finding new things about each other:</p><p>How Aomine had come to fear ghosts.</p><p>How she finds frogs to be utterly disgusting.</p><p>Midorima’s fondness of cats despite being allergic to felines.</p><p>How Kagami memorizes the route from his home to his school to avoid streets with dogs.</p><p>Kise’s tendency to get pampered by his two older sisters.</p><p>How Murasakibara seems to be the most reliable brother despite his attitude.</p><p>Akashi’s aversion to seaweeds.</p><p>And even Tetsu-kun’s habit of collecting keychains couldn’t be kept in the dark.</p><p>It was honestly endearing. Because no matter how much they grew apart over the years, here they were now, getting to know each other over again. And honestly? Momoi couldn’t be happier in this moment. Before she knew it, a contented smile had crept up to her face, yet she couldn’t ignore the foreboding feeling nagging at the back of her mind.</p><p>Meeting Kise’s eyes, she knew – it was time.</p><p>
  <strong>~•~</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Normal POV!</strong>
</p><p>“Nee, Kurokocchi. What did you mean when you said it wasn’t your first kiss?”</p><p>Kagami was curious. No, seriously, he was curious. After years of knowing Kuroko, the maroon-haired teen had never bothered asking questions to the shorter teen about himself. He had simply assumed that anything with Teikou in it was a landmine to the shadow, and he stupidly assumed that anything about said person was a taboo question. And he was very damn glad that despite the blond’s annoying tendencies, he was smart enough to ask important questions in serious moments. Kise may not look it, but the damn model can be clever when need be.</p><p>And right now, the calm atmosphere from before had disappeared and was replaced with tenseness as everyone waited with bated breath for the tealnette’s answer, yet Kagami was glad that Kuroko had chosen truth.</p><p>While the others tried to appear uninterested while some failed to conceal their apprehensiveness (Aomine and Midorima), Kagami made no attempt in hiding his curiosity. Eyes fixatedly on his shadow, Kagami stared at the usual blank expression as they waited for an answer.</p><p>“It means exactly what it means, Kise-kun. I already had my first kiss.”</p><p>“When did <em>that</em> happen?”</p><p>For once, Kagami was glad that it was Aomine who had spoken. Despite the other’s uncaring upbringing, he was the only one he knew that was capable of masking his worry and concern with something casual when faced with Kuroko’s tendency to be nonchalant with everything.</p><p>“And this better not count platonic kisses, Tetsu. And with <em>who</em>?” the Touo ace added. And yes, <em>who?</em> That was the question, wasn’t it?</p><p>“Uhm, I think it was twelve years ago, with my neighbor.” was Kuroko’s answer, shifting slightly in a more comfortable position, tone of voice betraying nothing. “At that time, I used to stay at my neighbor’s house a lot since my parents were always busy with work, and even though I lived with my grandmother, I preferred to spend my time in their house than mine.”</p><p>Kagami watched as Kuroko switched from sitting with his legs crossed to hugging his knees, the room in silence as they all listened attentively. From the corner of his eye, he saw Akashi’s tense form and Midorima on alert. Briefly, Kagami wondered if he missed something because he found nothing wrong with Kuroko’s explanation.</p><p>“Eh? What was your neighbor’s name?” Aomine continued, seemingly interested in knowing. Kagami couldn’t blame him; it was an unknown information about his teammate, after all.</p><p>Kuroko bit his lip, furrowing his brows in contemplation as he tried to remember his first kiss’s name.</p><p>“It was Gaku Yashiro-san.” he said, almost hesitantly and unsure if he even got his memory right. “We used to play together back then. Every time he comes home from school, he always bring clothes with him so we could play dress-up.” at this, Kagami tensed, and even Momoi couldn’t stop her eyes from widening. Nobody even noticed the way a certain purple-haired teen had stopped snacking. “Because of my small build back then, female clothing suited me more. So, he would bring dresses for me to try on.”</p><p>“Wait, Kurokocchi!” it was Kise who interrupted the tealnette’s narration, and it was obvious to everyone how his eyes were alight with suspicion and alarm. “How old <em>were you</em> in this?”</p><p>“Six, why?”</p><p>“And how old was this Yashiro-san back then?” the yellow-eyed boy persisted.</p><p>To Kagami’s horror, Kuroko simply tilted his head to the side, answering, “He was in high school, I think.”</p><p>Breaths hitched and Kagami didn’t even know which of them did it. His eyes remained boring holes on the smallest teen’s form, emotions passing by his eyes in a scary speed from confusion, shock, fear, and anger – not at Kuroko, but at the ghost of a man in his shadow’s past.</p><p>It was disconcerting at the very least, and alarming at best. And Kagami wouldn’t blame the others if they start thrashing his apartment out of anger, for he, too, could feel his heart beating vigorously at the onslaught of protective emotions he could feel for their smallest member.</p><p>Even Midorima couldn’t hide his anger as he spoke through gritted teeth. “Kuroko, are you…?” he trailed off, unsure and still mad at the sudden information dropped by the phantom if his tight grip on his knee was anything to go by.</p><p>“It’s not a big deal.” Kuroko hastily said, and Akashi looked ready to blow a fuse and probably him too, because <em>what the hell, Kuroko?!</em> and if it wasn’t for the betrayed look the teal-haired boy sent his way, Kagami wouldn’t have known he’d said that out loud. “I don’t see why you’re so mad about this, Kagami-kun. I’d thought with you having come from America, you’d find same-sex relationships to be a common thing.”</p><p>And with how much venom was put into that statement, Kuroko failed to notice the dangerous glint that flashed through Aomine and Akashi’s eyes as he looked down bitterly, and Kagami couldn’t even feel the sting from the comment at realizing that <em>Kuroko found nothing wrong with his experience</em> and only found their reactions justified at the prospect of having discovered his first kiss was with another man. His teeth hurt but Kagami couldn’t stop grinding them as he saw the pure, unadulterated innocence in Kuroko as he wondered how much – <em>how much that scum</em> enjoyed tainting an innocent child’s purity.</p><p>And when he opened his mouth, to scold, to yell, to shake Kuroko and make him understand <em>how fucking wrong the whole thing was</em>, a warning glance from Murasakibara had stopped him, and although reluctantly, he complied because what can he do? Kuroko didn’t seem to have a full understanding with his experience. How do you make someone understand that what he had gone through was something traumatic to any other child because <em>good God, Kuroko was just molested by someone he trusted when he was <strong>six</strong>. </em>And it was in moments like this that Kagami was thankful for the presence of another redhead in the room.</p><p>“Tetsuya, no,” Akashi carefully said, as though he was tending to a small, scared animal. “I don’t think Taiga meant what you’re thinking. Do you have any idea what just happened to you?”</p><p>“Of course I do, Akashi-kun.” if it were any other, they would have snapped, but this was Kuroko, and even with the conflicting and confused emotions in his eyes he managed to reign in his emotions inside. “I had my first kiss with a guy. There’s nothing wrong with that. It was a long time ago, and he moved somewhere else when he graduated high school. It’s not a big deal. Don’t <em>make</em> it a big deal.”</p><p>Another bout of silence ensued, and as tempted Kagami was to force Kuroko to understand the dilemma they were facing, he couldn’t – not with the pleading look the shadow was directing them. It felt like swallowing a bitter pill, but Kagami pulled his gaze away and made eye contact with cobalt blue, coming to an understanding with Aomine and the rest to drop the topic for another time. It was Kise, who, again, had managed to stray the topic to a more comfortable discussion without leaving it awkwardly hanging as he began discussing about a homosexual couple in his agency that managed to capture the hearts of everyone in the staff, but even without a trained eye you’d see the way the model’s usual zeal was lacking honesty with his tensed jaw and darkened eyes.</p><p>Murasakibara, who had been silent from the whole exchange, began contributing comments to keep the teal-haired teen’s mind off of the matter, but anyone could see the almost stiff posture from the usually laid-back giant. Slowly, but gradually, Kuroko began to relax despite the awkward-tense pauses in the conversation, but before long, the atmosphere lightened as everyone began chattering like they did previously, but even a blockhead like Kagami knew this matter was left unsolved.</p><p>If he hadn’t took the time to survey his surroundings, Kagami wouldn’t have noticed the brief, silent exchange between Teikou’s ex-captain and former manager, a dangerous glint in their eyes promising pain towards the man who dared lay their hands on their shadow.</p><p>Without fail, sooner or later Momoi will find the whereabouts of that bastard and Akashi will take care of the rest, and after catching something flash within Aomine’s eyes, Kagami wondered if they’d be allowed to give a few punches before he was disposed of. Murasakibara’s appreciative look was an answer enough, and Kagami could only snort with Midorima’s satisfied look as he adjusted his glasses.</p><p>Boy was he glad Kuroko met these guys. They weren’t bad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Me: Just in time for my birthday too. April 9, everyone – today is my 18th birthday! It’s my special day too! So anyway, one and only PhoenixNinja101 signing out!<br/>~~~CHAO!!!~~~</p></blockquote></div></div>
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